Struggling to know what to look for!

[mattodinaturas]

Hi all

I am looking for new cameras to replace my 15 years old vivotek system, which is close to useless in terms of image quality.

A friend of mine suggested me the brand Annke, as it is a budget oriented hikvision spinoff. I was close to ordering 4 C800 turret cameras (I9DM) paired with a NR168 NVR (I need the NVR to be 16ch, since I already have 4 indoor ezviz cameras which I want to feed into it). The total price comes close to 540 euros, including a 4tb HDD.
However, as I was lurking on this forum, I realized that the sensor is tiny (1/2,5") and in low light the image will be utterly terrible. As I'm mostly interested in low light conditions, this is unacceptable.

I am wondering if there are other options (any brand) which will guarantee a better night image clarity, while still not breaking the bank. The dual light (IR+white) option seemed compelling, but I read that the white light isn't just bright enough to see people at night. Maybe it would be beneficial to mount a separate led outdoor light close to the cameras (triggered by PIR) to illuminate the scene?

My total budget is around 600 euros.

Thank you very much for your help!!

 

[Arjun]

Your best bet is to refer to the forum Cliff Notes

IP Cam Talk Cliff Notes

Information in this section was contributed by [URL='https://ipcamtalk.com/members/mat200.29441/'][COLOR=#0000b3]@matt200[/COLOR][/URL] and [URL='https://ipcamtalk.com/members/giomania.36271/'][COLOR=#0000b3]@giomania [/COLOR][/URL] [/LIST] Any dedicated manufacturer NVR should match...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[wittaj]

Welcome!

Without knowing what your goals of the camera is, this thread is used as the go to for the new person here outlining the commonly recommended cameras (along with Amazon links) based on distance to IDENTIFY that represent the overall best value/best bang for the buck in terms of price and performance day and night. It might be a 2MP camera in some instances. Many here feel 4MP is the current sweet spot for these cameras.

The Importance of Focal Length over MP in camera selection

And coupled with that thread is this great thread which will show why all of the same 2.8 or 3.6mm cameras is the wrong choice (these are the common focal lengths consumer brands sell):

i-want-2-8mm-cameras-everywhere-to-see-everything-this-is-why-you-need-specific-fovs-with-purposeful-focal-lengths.70053/

We would encourage you to look at those threads in detail.

It will probably raise more questions than answers LOL.